Integral and inserted blade blower wheel



Feb. 28, 1967 fa. A. BEESLEY 3,306,

INTEGRAL AND INSERTED BLADE BLOWER WHEEL Filed July 28, 1966 m EILZ' |4 la 23 I Fig.5 22 I I2 I E13. 3 113A .2 I

Ila [4 INVENTOR.

ROBERT A. BEESLEY ATTORNEY 3,306,530 INTEGRAL AND INSERTED BLADE BLOWER WHEEL Robert A. Beesley, Columbus, Iud., assignor to Vernco Corporation, Columbus, Ind. Filed July'28, 1966, Ser. No. 568,579 4 Claims. (Cl. 230134) This invention relates to the cylindrical type blower wheel. It particularly involves a strip having side edge portions forming lands, and between which, air moving blades extend and are integrally attached to the lands by blade end portions. The strip is rolled into crosssectional circular shape.

In the strip formation, the blades are initially defined by transversely slitting the strip between the land portions, which provides that the edges of the blades be, in the initial flat strip form, in approximate contact, leading edges with trailing edges, one after another throughout the strip length. The flat, outlined blades are then transversely curved to define air moving surfaces and are twisted in effect in their connections with the strip lands. This spaces apart the blades between adjacent edges such that, were it possible to space the integral blades circumferentially closer together, a greater air flow could be had.

That not being possible with desired areas of blade surfaces, separate blades are formed individually with the desired areas and contours and inserted in the strip be tween the integral blades and separately attached to the opposing lands by blade end portions. In this manner, the air flow through the wheel is greatly increased.

The method of attachment of the inserted blades to the wheel lands is quite unique and readily carried out mechanically, and in itself comprises an important part of the invention.

One particular form of the invention now best known to me is described and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a blower wheel constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an outer, side elevation of an insertable blade;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view in longitudinal section on the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section through an integral blade and attached lands on the line 44 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale through an inserted blade in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal view through one side of the wheel on the line 6-6 in FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 7 is "a detail in end elevation on an enlarged scale of a short length of a flange turned fromv a land of the wheel; and

FIG. 8 is a view in section on the line 88 in FIG. 7, on an enlarged scale.

A blade strip generally designated by the numeral 10 is formed in a strip to have flat edge lands 11 and 12, between which are integrally carried a plurality of air moving blades 13 spaced regularly one after another along the lands 11 and 12. Each land 11 and 12 has an integral flange 14 and 15 respectively extending at right angles to and continuously along the outer peripheral edge portions of the lands.

The strip 10 is rolled into cylindrical shape, FIG. 1, to have the strip ends abut on lines 16 and 17.

At regularly spaced zones around the lands and between the blade connecting portions 18 with the lands, there is a slot 19 through the bend 20, FIGS. 7 and 8. This slot 19 along both lands 11 and 12 is wide and United States Patent 0 circumferentially long enough to receive therein snugly flanges, flange 21 at one end and flange 22 at the other end, of a separate, individual blade 23. This bend 20 constitutes the junction between the flange 14 and the land 11 in the one wheel end. Thus in the slots 19, there appears an end portion 11a, of the land 11 and end portion 14a of the flange 14 at a right angle to each other, FIG. 8. The blade 23 flanges 21 and 22 each extend at a right angle to the longitudinal length of the blade.

The insertable blade 23 is brought up to the wheel 10 and its flange 21 is laid over the land end 11a, and abutted by its free end against the end 14a of the land flange 14 in a slot 19. The other end of the blade 23 has its end flange 22 correspondingly applied in a slot 19 between the land 12 and the land flange 15. The blades 23 will be turned in respect to their transverse curvature to correspond with that of the fixed blades 13.

A ring 25 is spun over the land flange 14, FIGS. 1 and 6, with a central web 26 lying on the blade 23 flange 21; an outer leg 27 extending from one side of the web 26 to below the flange 14; a foot 28 extending from the leg 27 in contact with the under side of the flange 14; a leg 29 extending from the web 26 along the inner side of the blade 23 end portion 30, a distance to bear against that portion 30; and a foot 31 extending radially inwardly of the wheel as means maintaining the leg 29 firmly against the blade portion 30. A back plate 32 is secured around the land 12 and the ends 30 of the blades 23 bearing thereagainst. The back plate 32 has an integral ring 33 extending therearound spun over the flange in exactly the same manner with the ring foot 31 merging into the back plate 32 proper, FIG. 6.

This construction thus rigidly spaces and holds inserted blades around the wheel, permitting the closer spacing between blades than if integral blades only were used. In FIG. 5, the end portions 30 of the inserted blades extend from the blade in continuous straight-line manner lapping over and across the end lands. In FIG. 6, there is a variation in that the blade portions 30 are olfset the thickness of the lands 11 and 12 to allow the outermost, longitudinal lengths of the blades 23 to be in alignment with at least the outermost sides of the lands. The fixed blades 13 may extend outwardly as in FIG. 1, to the outer radii dimensions of the end and plate rings. Likewise, the portions 30 may be oflset to bring the outer portions of the blades 23 into the same radial dimension.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the one precise form, structural variations may be had without deviating from the spirit of the invention, and I do not desire to be limited to that precise form, beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a blower wheel comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart end lands;

a flange turned at approximately right angles to and from each of said lands from outer edges thereof radially of the wheel;

a plurality of blades integrally connected by ends to said lands;

each of said lands having a slot spaced between integral blades and along the outer edge of a land removed from its integral blade attaching edge;

an insertable blade having a flange extending laterally of and at each end of the blade;

said blade flanges entering respectively a slot at one land and an opposite slot at the other land;

said insertable blade having a length from which said blade flanges extend at each end, lapping across said lands; and

4 ring means wrapping over said land flanges and along a web portion lying over outer faces of the blade said blade lengths, retaining said blade flanges in flange and of said land flange; aid l t a leg extending from an edge of said web portion 2. The structure of claim 1, in which said slots extend across the Outer free edge of the land flanges and 5 back thereunder; and

a leg extending from the opposite web edge portion along said blade length retaining it against said through said land flanges adjacent said lands and expose a length of said land across the slot; and said blade flanges rest, one at each blade end, on said exposed land land and retaining Said blade flange in Said slot length in the respective slot.

3. The structure of claim 2, in which said land flanges 10 No references cited. are parallel.

4. The structure of claim 2, in which said ring means MARTIN SCHWADRON Primary comprises EVERETTE A. POWELL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A BLOWER WHEEL COMPRISING A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED APART END LANDS; A FLANGE TURNED AT APPROXIMATELY RIGHT ANGLES TO AND FROM EACH OF SAID LANDS FROM OUTER EDGES THEREOF RADIALLY OF THE WHEEL; A PLURALITY OF BLADES INTEGRALLY CONNECTED BY ENDS TO SAID LANDS; EACH OF SAID LANDS HAVING A SLOT SPACED BETWEEN INTEGRAL BLADES AND ALONG THE OUTER EDGE OF A LAND REMOVED FROM ITS INTEGRAL BLADE ATTACHING EDGE; AN INSERTABLE BLADE HAVING A FLANGE EXTENDING LATERALLY OF AND AT EACH END OF THE BLADE; SAID BLADE FLANGES ENTERING RESPECTIVELY A SLOT AT ONE LAND AND AN OPPOSITE SLOT AT THE OTHER LAND; SAID INSERTABLE BLADE HAVING A LENGTH FROM WHICH SAID BLADE FLANGES EXTEND AT EACH END, LAPPING ACROSS SAID LANDS; AND RING MEANS WRAPPING OVER SAID LAND FLANGES AND ALONG SAID BLADE LENGTHS, RETAINING SAID BLADE FLANGES IN SAID SLOTS. 